


Her Perfect Angel

by phantomthief_fee



Series: Their Perfect Saviors [2]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Body Horror, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Gore, Joey is a bastard, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Susie Campbell had always loved Alice Angel. She never expected to be saved by her, though.





	Her Perfect Angel

[@spaloonbabooguuscooties](https://tmblr.co/mWDo9-771vk9S9co9Qo6iYA) made me ship Susie and Alice so here we are.

Also with a good deal of Susie/Allison.

* * *

The creature that had once been Susie Campbell hated herself. 

She’d always struggled with a certain amount of self-loathing; worrying she wasn’t pretty enough, wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t good enough at her job. But when she’d been cast into the machine by Joey, her self-hatred had taken on a whole new level. She’d been perfect when she’d first emerged, the perfect representation of Alice Angel. But Joey had marred her, had taken away her perfection. If she was going to be Alice, she had to be perfect! She had to perfectly embody Alice! She couldn’t let Alice down. She loved Alice more than anything. No one could say she didn’t. 

It had just been an attachment to the character at first. She’d had so many roles in her life, but none had been quite like Alice Angel. Alice was the first role she’d really felt was a part of her. She’d loved **being** Alice. It had just been so much fun to do her lines and sing the songs written for her. Alice was so wonderful. So…unlike her. Being Alice eased the voices in her mind that told her everything that she wasn’t. Maybe that was why she’d let Joey call her Alice.

As time had passed, though, the attachment had become something more. Something almost…romantic. Alice was the kind of girl who haunted Susie’s dreams. The kind of girl she imagined herself going out to dinner with, holding hands and watching movies with. She knew Alice would treat her right, not like all the men she’d dated over the years. Alice wouldn’t pressure her for sex or insult her when she didn’t wear makeup. Alice would love her the way none of those men ever had. And if it were an angel, it would be okay! It would be okay to be in love with a woman if it were an angel! Because…Because angels didn’t actually have genders. So it…It didn’t count…Right?

Susie had known most of her life that she was attracted to women. But she wasn’t supposed to like women. Because **she** was a woman. She’d tried so hard to convince herself she was “normal”. She’d dated Sammy, and later Joey, in an attempt to make her feelings go away. But neither man had made her feel the flutter in her heart that someone like Allison had. 

Allison…Susie had met her before the role of Alice was taken from her. Allison had been taken on to provide additional background voices. Her face had given Susie butterflies. Her long silky dark hair, those big brown eyes. Allison looked just like what Susie imagined a human Alice would. Even after losing her role, Susie had never had it in her to hurt the other woman. She’d yell, yes, but she could never bring herself to hurt Alice Angel, even if Allison wasn’t actually Alice.

Allison was so kind, so wonderful. She truly was an angel. Even after Susie had screamed at her for ‘taking’ her role, Allison had still tried to reach out to her. Allison had tried to help her. Even now, Allison was still trying to help her.

After being marred, ‘Alice’ had holed herself up on Level 9. She had to find a way to be perfect again. Alice had to be perfect. She couldn’t let Alice be this…This monstrosity. She had to find some way to fix herself. She seldom left Level 9 unless she had to, delegating her work to whatever poor soul ventured across her. 

Allison came by sometimes. She’d bang on the door under the “_**She’s Quite A Gal**_” sign. The door that Alice never opened. 

“Susie, I know you’re in there.” She said. “Please, let me in.” 

“I’m not Susie, I’m Alice!” Alice screamed. Why wouldn’t Allison just go away? What was the point of tormenting her like this? Allison was already perfect, a constant reminder of how much better she was than Susie would ever be.

“Please, let me in,” Allison begged. “I’m worried about you.”

Tom stayed near the elevator, watching her plead. He’d told her that this was pointless. The woman behind those doors wasn’t the one Allison remembered. Allison would need to do a lot more than pleading to get through to the creature that had once been Susie Campbell. He didn’t see the use in coming here and essentially banging her head against a wall. But Allison was like a daughter to him, and he couldn’t say no to her when she pulled out those puppy eyes. So, he waited at the elevator until Allison hung her head and walked dejectedly back to him.

“How long are you going to keep doing this?” He asked.

“As long as it takes.” She replied. Tom just sighed, pressing the down button.

In her sanctuary, Alice strapped another Butcher Gang clone to the table. She had to be perfect. She tested the edge of the ax, wincing as the blade bit into the flesh of her finger, drawing black blood. The clone on the table struggled and screeched, but it wasn’t going to get away. 

“Dreams come true, Susie.” She whispered to herself, swinging the ax down. “Dreams come true.”

All the days seemed to blend together being trapped in the studio. Alice had long since lost track of time. Years could have passed on the outside. She didn’t care. Time had no meaning here anyway. It was useless to try and cling to it. Still…Sometimes she paused and wondered if anyone on the outside missed her. She had a family. Surely they were looking for her. Everyone else, though…She’d driven them away. Or Joey had made her push them away. 

Those were the moments when she broke down, wailing her lamentations to the rafters. She cursed what she’d become, what she’d done. More than anything else though, she cursed the name of Joey Drew. She stood at the very edge of safety, screaming obscenities at the demon she knew was listening. 

“I** am **perfect, Joey!” She’d screamed. “Everyone **does** love me! They do! You’re wrong! You’ve always been wrong!” Inky tears streamed down her face as she stood there, her whole body shaking. She got no response. She never did.

“Coward.” She’d spit before returning to her sanctuary.

Sometimes she wondered if this Hell was a punishment. She certainly hadn’t been the best person after losing her role. The things she’d said to Allison still weighed heavily on her heart. As much as she wanted to blame Joey for her behavior, the majority of it had been all her. He’d fed her insecurities, her anger, but he hadn’t** made** her lash out against everyone around her. He certainly hadn’t been complaining, though, the bastard. But wallowing in self-pity wouldn’t get her very far. She had work to do.

.

Alice’s days followed a certain rhythm. She didn’t often sleep as her dreams tended to be plagued with memories of her transformation, (Joey cutting her open, rummaging around in her insides. The pain was so bad she wanted to pass out. But she never did. And always always Joey’s voice. Promising her she’d be perfect. Promising she’d be an angel. He’d lied.) but when she did sleep she’d wake up screaming or crying. Once she was awake, she’d inject herself with some extra thick ink to keep herself from falling apart. Her body tended to get rather drippy when she was upset or angry. There was nothing more terrifying than feeling your body begin to melt. After she was more put together, she went looking for Butcher Gang clones to harvest hearts from. The Searchers and Lost Ones were out of the question when it came to harvesting hearts. She wasn’t sure if the Searchers even had hearts, and the Lost Ones were too far down for her. Not to mention, they were protected by Sammy. Occasionally, she’d also go and destroy some cutouts on the Heavenly Toys level. 

That was her life now. Awake, ink, harvest, sleep. Rinse and repeat. She didn’t need to eat anymore, so she couldn’t take comfort in food. Even if she had needed to eat, stale bacon soup likely wouldn’t have helped her mood. The more time that passed, the colder and more detached she became. She was starting to forget what her life had been like before this. She was starting to forget **who** she’d been before all this. She was Alice, she kept telling herself. She didn’t even acknowledge Allison anymore when the other woman came to plead with her. Susie Campbell was dying for a second time. 

That was when **_She_** arrived.

.

She’d been elbow-deep in a Fisher when she heard the knocking. Assuming it was just Allison again, she elected to ignore the knocking. That is until she heard **_her_** voice. 

“Hello? Anybody here?” That voice…A mixture of Allison and Susie’s voices. Beautiful and angelic and pure. And afraid. “Alice” withdrew her hands from the corpse on her table, stumbling over to the monitors to see who was at her door. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. 

A perfect Alice Angel stood in front of her doors, knocking tentatively on the metal. She was splattered with ink and shaking in what “Alice” assumed was fear. It was only natural she would be afraid. This was no place for an angel. “Alice” turned away from the screens, starting toward the door. She had to let her in. It wasn’t safe out there. Suddenly, though, a thought crossed her mind. 

** _She could be perfect if she killed this Alice. _ **

After all, this was a perfect Alice. Just like the cartoons in every way. Even Allison still looked mostly human. But she quickly dispelled this thought. She couldn’t even bring herself to harm Allison. How would she make herself kill this perfect Alice? No. Best to take the angel in. She would never forgive herself if she let something happen to this perfect being. 

Alice’s face lit up as she opened the door. 

“Oh good! I was gettin’ pretty worried!” She chirped in that lovely voice of hers. “Thought I might be banging on the door when there was no one home.” “Alice’s” heart swelled. The smaller woman had such a lovely smile. 

“It’s unwise to be making so much noise.” “Alice” cleared her throat, trying to still the butterflies in her stomach. “You never know who could be listening.”

“Boy do I know it.” Alice laughed weakly. “I had a pretty nasty run-in with Bendy earlier. He’s definitely looking worse for wear.” She bit her lip, wrapping her arms around herself. 

“You must be very scared.” “Alice’s” voice held a softness it hadn’t for quite some time. 

“Me? Scared? Psh!” Alice put her hands on her hips, smiling broadly. “I’m never scared! I’m not like Bendy!” “Alice” gave her an incredulous look. Alice’s smile faltered and she let her arms fall at her sides as her whole body deflated.

“…Yeah.” She admitted sheepishly. 

“Alice” couldn’t help but laugh softly. “You’re very brave, my dear.”

“Really?” Alice perked up a bit. 

“Yes.” “Alice” smiled. God, how long had it been since she’d _actually_ smiled? Not a smirk or a grimace, but a real smile. She…She felt like Susie again.

“Y’know, you’ve got a nice smile,” Alice said, reaching up toward “Alice”. “What happened to your face, though?” “Alice” abruptly drew back at the mention of her face, her point of imperfection. The moment was gone. Susie was dead.

“It’s nothing.” Her voice was cold now. “Come inside. It’s not safe out there.” Alice’s horns drooped a bit, like the ears of an animal. 

“Well, okay.” She followed “Alice” into the sanctuary.

The angel screamed when she saw the corpses in the sanctuary. “Alice” supposed she should have warned her. She felt a pang of guilt at the horror painting the angel’s features. She didn’t care if others called her a monster for what she’d done. But not Alice. She didn’t want Alice to be afraid of her.

“I apologize for the state of my sanctuary.” She said. “I didn’t know I would have a guest.”

“Why…Why do they all look like that?” Alice asked, pointing to the Butcher Gang clones. She couldn’t look at the Borises. 

“I don’t know.” “Alice” cast only a cursory glance over the mangled remains. “My best guess would be that they lack souls. They’re barely even sapient, just beings that exist to attack and kill.” Her lip curled in disgust. They were disgusting creatures, perpetuating the Ink Demon’s tainted ink. She was doing them a service by freeing them from their torturous existence. 

“Did you…kill them?” Alice whispered, looking up at “Alice”. She looked on the verge of tears.

“It had to be done.” “Alice” said. “I couldn’t allow them to trail their tainted ink into my halls. I needed their hearts.”

“Their…hearts?” 

“I needed their hearts to make myself perfect.” “Alice” smiled, gesturing to herself. It wasn’t a kind smile. It was cold, almost unhinged. Alice’s eyes widened and she made a small squeaking noise. 

“But that’s not important.” “Alice’s” smile dropped. “You must be tired. I’ve got a cot in the back you can sleep on.” She began to make her way across the boards spanning the ink moat. Alice scrambled after her. 

“Gee, thanks.” She said, wrapping her arms around “Alice’s” arm. “I really appreciate it.” 

“You’re welcome.” “Alice” allowed herself another tender smile. “I would never forgive myself if I abandoned an angel.” 

Alice perked up at the smile, a smile of her own filling her features. She held onto “Alice’s” arm tighter, in delight rather than fear. She’d known this lady had a soft spot to her! Now, she just needed to figure out how best to help the other woman. It was an angel’s job to help people in need, and Alice would eat her socks if this woman wasn’t in need.

.

In the weeks and/or months that followed, Alice did her very best to cheer up the woman who also identified herself as “Alice”. She lived for the tiny smiles and genuine laughs she could elicit from “Alice”. Despite what “Alice” insisted, Alice thought the other woman had a lovely laugh. Yes, she snorted a little, but that was what made it cute! Her nose also did this cute crinkly thing when she actually laughed. She was really something.

Alice also started venturing out into the studio in an attempt to find things to cheer “Alice” up with. Her efforts were always short-lived, only lasting a moment or two before “Alice” grew cold once more, trying to reject the brief shows of vulnerability. “Alice” didn’t like Alice leaving the safety of level 9, so Alice snuck out while “Alice” was busy with harvesting a heart or sleeping. She was always careful when she snuck out. “Alice” would probably be really sad if she didn’t come back.

It didn’t take long for her to discover the first audio log from Susie Campbell. She’d been doing some cleaning in the area outside “Alice’s” little surgery room, the one filled with corpses and a moat of ink. In between exploring, Alice had started clearing out the corpses as best she could. It wasn’t healthy to live in a place with corpses. She was certain “Alice’s” mood would improve if she could get rid of the corpses. Alice had made her way to the platform in the top right corner of the room to get a Striker that was just out of her reach. That was where she’d discovered the audio log. 

“What’s this?” Alice frowned, looking it over. She’d seen them around, even played a couple. They were from people who’d probably worked at the studio at some point. She wasn’t sure why “Alice” had one. “Alice” didn’t seem like she liked **anyone** who’d worked at the studio. Except maybe Wally. Curiously, Alice pressed play. To her surprise, “Alice’s” voice came out of it.

“Who would have thought? Me having lunch with Joey Drew! Apparently, times are tougher than I thought. For a moment there, I thought I’d be stuck with the check. But I gotta say, he wasn’t at all what I expected. Quite the charmer. He even called me Alice. I liked it.” 

Alice’s eyes went comically large, and she let out a gasp. Immediately, she scooped it up to show to “Alice”.

“Alice! Alice!” She yelled, running into “Alice’s” workroom. “Alice” looked up from her work, a frown marring her lovely features. She was in the process of extracting a heart from a Piper, wearing her ink-splattered apron and clutching her bone-saw.

“Darling, I’m in the middle of something.” She said gently.

“I know, and I’m awful sorry to bother you, but look!” Alice proudly held out the audio log to “Alice”. “The lady on here sounds just like you!” “Alice” froze, looking up at Alice. It was hard to read her expression, but Alice suddenly felt as though she’d made a mistake.

“What…Does it say?” She asked slowly. 

“It, um, well, the lady talked about having lunch with Joey Drew?” Alice took a step back. “She said he was a charmer and he called her Alice?” 

“Ah…That one…” “Alice” looked away, putting down her saw. Her shoulders slumped and a look of exhaustion settled on her face.

“You okay?” Alice asked. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought it was cool. That there was somethin’ that had your voice on it.”

“It’s alright.” “Alice” shook her head. “I…I shouldn’t have kept that. It’s just a monument to my own foolishness.”

“So it’s…You on the tape?” Alice’s eyes widened again. 

“It’s who I **used** to be.” “Alice” corrected her sharply. “I’m not that person anymore. I’m Alice Angel!” She slammed her hand into the wall before drawing into herself. Her breathing began to speed up as she wrapped her arms around herself muttering, “I’m Alice Angel. I’m Alice Angel.”

“Of course.” Alice was quickly at her side, patting “Alice’s” back. “Alice” had done this once or twice before. It always worried Alice because she didn’t know what was bothering her angel or how she could help her. She didn’t like seeing “Alice” so distraught. So, as she held “Alice”, whispering comforting words to her and stroking her hair, she decided she had to get to the bottom of this. 

While “Alice” was busy, Alice started looking for other logs with “Alice’s” voice on them. The next one she found was in a little room near the elevator. To her dismay, this one had “Alice” in tears.

“Everything feels like it’s coming apart. When I walked into the recording booth today, Sammy was there with that…Allison. Apparently, I didn’t get the memo. Alice Angel will now be voiced by Miss Allison Pendle. A part of me died when he said that. There’s gotta be a way to fix this!” 

Alice frowned down at the tape. It sounded like “Alice” had been her voice actress before everything had gone to shit and Joey had replaced her with this Allison lady. “Alice” had said something about Allison before, but only when she thought Alice wasn’t listening. To Alice, it certainly seemed like “Alice” was sweet on Allison. Whenever she talked about Allison, she usually talked about how incredible and kind Allison was. 

“I gotta find this Allison dame,” Alice muttered to herself. She knew she made “Alice” happy, but there was a lot she didn’t know about her. “Alice” and Allison had some history, evidently, and Allison could probably help with some of the problems Alice couldn’t. 

But she had no idea where she could find Allison. So she had to pursue a different lead. Sammy. “Alice” had mentioned him before. He seldom left the Music Department, apparently. If “Alice” had been a voice actress, then there was probably information about her there. Maybe Sammy even knew her! Sure, “Alice” said he was a liar and a bastard, but he couldn’t be **_that _**bad.

Except…he kind of was.

Her first meeting with Sammy Lawrence didn’t go…amazingly. Upon seeing her, he proclaimed her a minion of the “False Angel” and tried to grab her. Probably to sacrifice her. He seemed pretty keen on sacrificing things to Bendy. There was a lot of screaming from both of them before Alice managed to slip. She was a bit disheveled when she returned to “Alice’s” sanctuary. 

“I’m back!” She announced, slipping under the door. 

“There you are!” “Alice” ran over and scooped her up, holding her close to her chest. “I was so worried! I couldn’t find you anywhere!”

“Sorry, hun.” Alice laughed weakly. “I guess I lost track of time.”

“Where were you?” “Alice” demanded, inky tears streaming down her cheeks. Alice felt her stomach twist. “Alice” was really upset. Golly, she’d really messed up.

“The…The Music Department.” She mumbled, avoiding eye contact. 

“The Music Department?!” “Alice’s” voice rose. “What were you doing there?! You could have been killed!”

“I’m sorry!” Alice shrunk back. "Alice’s” anger abruptly went out as she saw the tears glimmering in Alice’s eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice softened. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

“It’s okay.” Alice sniffled.

“It’s not.” “Alice” shook her head, taking a few deep breaths. “I scared you.”

“I must’ve scared you something awful, though.” Alice insisted, grabbing Alice’s hand. “I’m real sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I shouldn’t have gone down there.” She rubbed circles on the back of “Alice’s” hand with her thumb. “Alice” relaxed a bit at Alice’s touch.

“Why **were** you there in the first place?” She asked. “It’s dangerous there.” Alice shuffled her feet, looking comically guilty.

“I…wanted to find out who you used to be.” She admitted with a sheepish grin. “Alice’s” face twisted as her mouth opened to yell. 

Alice quickly cut her off, holding up her hands. “Wait wait! Before you start yellin’, let me explain!”

“Alice” frowned. Still, she closed her mouth, waiting expectantly.

“You get really upset sometimes,” Alice explained. “About things I don’t know about. I thought, maybe if I could find out who you were I could figure out how to help you.” She smiled sweetly, starting to play with her tail. “Alice” bit her lip.

“I was no one special.” She hunched her shoulders, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m better off being Alice.”

“But you **were** special!” Alice grabbed “Alice’s” hand again. “You were my first voice actress, right? You were the first person to bring me to life!”

“And then Joey replaced me.” “Alice’s” lip curled in a snarl. “That bastard.” The snarl quickly faded, though. “But Allison **was** good. She had the loveliest voice.” 

“You’ve got a pretty voice too!” Alice insisted. “You’re both great! Joey’s the one to blame!” She nodded in what she hoped was solemn understanding. She actually looked pretty ridiculous, enough to make “Alice” start giggling. She tried to hide it, but it was futile.

“What? What’s so funny?” Alice demanded.

“You’re adorable.” “Alice” laughed, ruffling Alice’s hair.

“Well, duh.” Alice scoffed. “I’m an angel!” “Alice” laughed once more, gazing fondly down at Alice. 

“My name was…Susie.” She finally said. “Susie…Campbell.” She was still holding Alice’s hand, trying to draw strength from it. 

Alice gasped. “That’s such a pretty name!”

“Thank you.” It had been a long time since she’d thought of herself as Susie Campbell. But maybe if she had Alice with her…she could gather the courage to be Susie Campbell once more.

“I love you, Susie!” Alice proclaimed, throwing herself onto Susie. Susie’s heart skipped a beat. 

“I…I love you too.” Those three words…They still held so much power. Especially coming from the woman she’d spent years fantasizing about. Alice pulled back, grinning. 

“Does this mean we’re a couple now?” She asked, her tail wrapping around Susie’s leg. Susie stared at her for a moment before replying with a smile of her own. It was a bit haughty but still kind and genuine. 

“Only if you want to be.” She leaned down to press her lips to Alice’s. Little hearts began to pop up around Alice’s head. 

“Oh, golly.” She started to sway a bit when Susie pulled away. Susie laughed her own heart fluttering. For the first time in a long time, the studio seemed bearable. 

.

Now that Alice knew who her angel was, she could focus on finding Allison. She didn’t really want to go on any more exploration expeditions, (especially not if they’d end up worrying Susie as much as the last one had) but she’d have to do _something _to find Allison. There weren’t really a lot of options open to her. 

“Is Allison around here?” She asked Susie one day. Susie was taking apart another Butcher Gang clone while Alice sat on a bench. She was feeling better about the whole dissection thing, but only really when it came to the Butcher Gang clones. They didn’t seem at all sapient, so it really was a mercy to destroy them. 

“She’s….around,” Susie said slowly, pausing in her dissection. “I don’t know where she resides, but she’s here somewhere.”

“Have you seen her?” Alice started to kick her feet against the bench. 

Susie shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting from Alice to the clone. “…Yes. She used to…come here. Before.” 

“Before me?”

“Yes.”

“Why did she come here?”

“She had her reasons.” Susie turned her attention back to the clone as if he were trying to will this conversation to end. Alice narrowed her eyes, trying to look like a noir detective. There was something here that she was missing. Another mystery she needed to solve. 

“Did she have a crush on you or somethin’?” 

Susie’s knife abruptly stabbed into the heart, sending a spray of ink all over her and the room around her. 

“T-That’s ridiculous!” Susie sputtered. “As if she would have a crush on **me**.” She huffed, beginning to wipe her face off. “I’ve ruined a perfectly good heart. I’ll have to get another.”

“I’ll go get it!” Alice said quickly, hopping off the bench. “I ruined it, so I should replace it!” This was her chance to go find Allison!

Susie raised an eyebrow. “Darling, you’d best not be planning anything.”

“Me? I could never!” Alice gasped, putting a hand on her chest in mock horror. Susie rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Are you sure you can handle bringing me a fresh heart?” She asked, her smile fading a tad. “These things are incredibly dangerous.”

“Psh!” Alice scoffed. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

She’d been wrong. She’d been very very wrong. She’d thought that she could just swing the ax and everything would be fine. And it was. At first. Then the Searchers had shown up and now she was on top of a Little Miracle Station while screaming and waving the ax ineffectually. She knew Susie had cameras. She’d probably be here eventually. But how long that would be was up to debate.

Suddenly, the door to the stairs was kicked open and two figures came charging out. One was a Boris with a robot arm and the other was…

“Susie?” Alice whispered. But, no, it wasn’t Susie. This woman had smaller horns and her halo served as something like a headband. Her hair was in a ponytail and she wore overalls over what was probably her Alice dress. She carried a sword, carving through the Searchers and Butcher Gang clones as though she had been doing this for a long time. She and her companion made quick work of the monsters.

“Is that all of them?” When the woman spoke, her voice was different from Susie’s. The Boris nodded. 

“You saved me!” Alice tumbled down from the Miracle station. The woman turned to face her, taking a step back and letting out an involuntary gasp. 

“Susie?” 

“No, I’m Alice,” Alice said. “I’ve been staying with Susie.” The Boris looked from Alice to the woman who was probably Allison. He seemed rather confused by Alice’s presence.

“You’ve been…Staying with Susie?” Allison said slowly. 

“Mm-hm.” Alice nodded. “She took me in when I first popped out of the machine.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Um…” Alice frowned, trying to count on her fingers. “I, uh, golly, it’s hard to tell time down here. It was a while ago.” Allison watched her, brows furrowed, passing her sword from hand to hand. 

“Anyway, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Alice gave her a big grin. “Susie’s gonna be real happy to see you!”

“Why would Susie be happy to see me?” Allison’s voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible. 

“Hm?” Alice tilted her head to the side. “Didja say somethin’?”

“Why would Susie be happy to see me?” Allison repeated. “I stole her role from her. I took everything she cared about.” She took a few shaking breaths, trying to fight back tears. “I’ve gone to her door for years. I’ve begged. I’ve pleaded. But she won’t let me in. She hates me! I know she does! And I deserve it!” 

Her shoulders began to shake as she tried desperately to stop the inky black tears from dripping down her cheek. She drew away, covering her face. The Boris put his mechanical arm around her, gently patting her back. 

“But…she _doesn’t _hate you.” Alice was confused and more than a little upset. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Allison was supposed to be excited. She was supposed to jump at the chance to see Susie again. 

“Alice? Are you alright?” She started at Susie’s voice coming from the elevator shaft. The elevator was running, the car ascending to their floor. Allison hadn’t noticed, but the Boris had. He nodded solemnly toward Alice, giving her a thumbs up. 

“I’m okay!” Alice yelled back.”I got saved!”

“Saved?” Susie’s face came into view as the elevator reached the floor. “By…Who…?” She trailed off when she saw Allison. As soon as the grate opened, Alice grabbed her hand and began dragging her over to Allison. The Boris took a step back to give them some space.

“Alice! Stop it!” Susie tried to pull away. 

“No! You two need to talk!” Alice insisted, grabbing Allison’s hand. Allison turned, and the two women made eye contact. 

“Susie…” Allison’s voice was quiet and reverent, like someone come face to face with a god. Susie tried to hide her mangled features. 

“Now, Susie and me are an item,” Alice explained with a wink. “But I wouldn’t mind another person in her. ‘Specially ‘cause I’m pretty sure Susie’s got the hots for you.” 

“Alice!” Susie’s face was quickly turning grey. Since their blood was ink, she and Alice tended to blush an interesting shade of grey. Something which Susie was demonstrating at that very moment.

“You don’t…hate me?” Allison perked up a bit. 

“I…” Susie hunched her shoulders, trying to hide behind her hair. “I could never hate you.”

“But all those times I came to your door!” Allison took a step toward her. “All the times you yelled at me!”

“Do I have to say it?” Susie turned back to look at her. “You’re so kind and wonderful. How could I ever compete with you? Especially now!” She gestured to herself. “I’m a monstrosity! I was awful to you!”

“This place messes up everyone.” Allison closed the gap between them, cradling Susie’s face in her hands. “We’ve all done horrible things here. As for the yelling, I forgive you. I took your role away from you. You were upset. I understand.”

“There was no excuse for the way I acted toward you.” Susie looked away. “You were so kind afterward, too.”

“Still, I forgive you.” Allison smiled gently. 

“We love you, Susie.” Alice wrapped her arms around her. “Both of us do.”

“It’s that obvious?” Allison laughed, a blush developing on her own cheeks.

“Wait, you…you actually **do** love on me?” Susie’s voice went up an octave. “R-Romantically?”

“Yeah.” Allison began playing with her overall straps. “I have ever since the beginning. I was so excited to work here because I’d be working with you.” She bit her lip. “I was a huge fan.”

“She’s also pretty good with a sword if that sweetens the deal,” Alice whispered loudly to Susie. “Gotta dig a lady who can kick your butt.” 

“You are not helping.” Susie rolled her eyes. Still, the prospect of a girlfriend with a sword did evidently pique her interest, judging from the gleam that had entered her eye.

“I wouldn’t mind providing some…assistance if you need it.” Allison held up her sword. “I **am **pretty good with a sword.”

“I might take you up on that offer.” Susie looked her up and down, a sly smile spreading across her face. 

“Glad you two made up.” A gruff voice came from the corner. It was then that they all seemed to remember the Boris was still there.

“You’re the guy from the elevator tape!” Alice yelled, pointing at him. Susie frowned, tensing once more. 

“That’s Tom,” Allison explained. “I’ve been surviving with him.”

“She’s basically my kid. Can’t let her go it alone.” Tom said, shrugging. Susie relaxed again.

“Thank you, Tom.” Allison glanced back at him. Her expression was that of a child who very much did not want their parent to ruin their chances with the person they were into.

“Golly, I’ve got_ two_ girlfriends now.” Alice hummed, swinging her hands back and forth. Those hands were now holding Susie and Allison’s hands as well. 

“Oh! Oh! Let’s show her the sanctuary!” Alice began jumping up and down, looking at Susie. She’d managed to clear out all the corpses, so it would at least not look so crazy.

“Alright alright.” Susie laughed softly. Alice started dragging both women toward the elevator, Tom following behind. This was certainly going to be interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bunch of angels in love. Check out @spaloonbabooguuscooties' work.


End file.
